‘Sovereign’ T5 – High Elf T3

For the final installment of the Sovereign T5 series we take the battle to Ulthuan, and I actually approached this task with great excitement because taking the battle to the Destro half of Saphery has always been my dream. I want a say in the fate of the Tower of Hoeth damn it. As an addendum to the thoughts I’ve thus far thrown out for the T5 model I wanted to add the option for players to take a quest to a BO of their possession – much like the quest in the Dragon’s Bane scenario that would teleport you to the BOs you controlled. Of course this system could be subject to tweaking, but it would certainly make the embattled sites that much more contested. Anyway onto the sites!

Although a mountain pretty definitively divides the two storylines, it is gradual enough in many locations to be scaled. I’ve pretty much gone full out with Saphery and included almost all of the zone in this T5 lake with very little area reserved for pure T3 PvE. However, I do not view this as a great loss. I’ve chosen both the Chapter 14 hubs as the key points of contention for this map – for Destruction ‘Kyaran’s Advance’ and for Order ‘Menuthil’s Burden’ – both lay a little bit more on the edge of the map.

A. The first location I’ve chosen is from the Dark Elf storyline – the PQ ‘Whitemoon Manor’. A general theme you will see in Saphery is that much of the key structures aren’t too greatly defended via natural obstacles (such as the locations atop mountains akin to much of High Pass/Talabecland or beside rivers). The defenses of these locations are derived from the walls and smaller obstacles.

B. The second location I’ve chosen is the Dark Elf PQ “Trial by Fire” which takes place at a burning tower. This site offers a little more flexibility in terms of defense and use of CC as it is atop a slight hill, but any knock backs will not remove an opponent from combat for long as these hills aren’t too steep. This particular tower is suppose to be where the Dragon Mages train so it is of vital importance.

C. My third BO is the Dark Elf PQ ‘Ghyran’s Embrace’ which is a massive maze. The end fight for the BO is buried within the maze so fights here could become interesting very quickly. Tab-targetting to find enemies on the other sides of walls, chasing enemies into dead ends, the mind boggling struggle to find the middle before the foes do and then to duke it out there. Not terribly punt-friendly, but its bound to be one heck of a fight.

D. The fourth BO in Saphery, and without a doubt the most important, is the Dark Elf PQ ‘The Tower of Hoeth’. This structure is massive and a miniature fortress in and of itself. First off it sits atop a hill ringed by a moat, accessible only from the south; secondly the tower is tiered with multiple levels winding up stairs and fighting around the tower. This thing is epic in stature and it deserves to be the most heated location in Saphery – certainly among the most contested in Ulthuan.

E. The last location I’ve taken from the Destruction storyline is the major landmark ‘Starsight Mansion’. Again the location is rather open and approachable from all sides, but there are plenty of obstacles in the way of benches, trees, fountains, etc to split up a mob and make them stumble. While not very defensible, it can lead to some interesting fights.

F. Moving over to the High Elf side we have the PQ ‘The Circle of The Winds’. The screenshot doesn’t do the location much justice (it is hard to get above sites to get a view from above) but what you have is a plaza surrounded by a moat with steep unscalable sides – the only access is between these two statues seen in the screenie. The site is strategically important because it is a shrine to eight Winds of Magic – which the Dark Elves are trying to unleash upon the world to destroy Ulthuan.

G. Next up on the High Elf side is the PQ “Thanon Hall” which consists of an archmage besieged by the Dark Elves within his residence. The site is only accessible up a hill and across a bridge, and sites atop a mountain. While the hill can be scaled from the south, the approach isn’t as easy. The site can be defended in several perimeter rings first at the mountain edge, and then inside the river as the enemy tries to cross. Once battling within the site, the combatants will be met with tons of obstacles to add difficulty to the fight.

H. Third from the High Elf storyline is the PQ ‘The Platinum Tower’ which consists of the tower of a powerful archmage besieged by the forces of the Raven Host. The tower is primarily accessible via a ramp from the west and the Chaos rocks and clutter certainly add to the obstacles of the small butte. Some proper CC can gain valuable time for the defenders of this location.

I. Forth from the High Elf Storyline is the PQ ‘The Hall of the Crimson Shroud’ which has a pretty fun end fight. The site is a little bit more open but has plenty of ruins and walls to hinder mobility. There is also the option of punting victims into a greenskin camp below this hill for a little additional fun.

J. Last up for Saphery is the High Elf major landmark and associated PQ of Silverglass. This site is terribly defensible – almost to the point of a keep (hence why all the catapults are firing upon it… sorta). The town surrounding the inner walls lay in ruins and can be an interesting point to harry the enemy, but the end fight lay within the gates which can be efficiently held – but be alert for there are two gates to hold! Once the gates are breached the large inner courtyard offers enough room for mobility.

Moving north we enter the kingdom of Avelorn, home of the Everqueen. The division between the two storylines has a few access points in the mountains so traveling between the two halves shouldn’t be a problem. For the key points of this map I’ve chosen the two Chapter 12 hubs – for Destruction the Jade Coast and for Order the Well of Whispers. While I realize that the Destruction locations are rather clumped and the Order ones stretched out, I hope that the nature of the zone and the dense forest will make any maneuvers and stalking the enemy equally challenging.

K. The first location I’ve taken from this map is the Dark Elf PQ “Sea Guard Beachhead” which consists of three ships docked on the shores of Avelorn. The fight here can enter some interesting moments as the battles are waged over the ships and enemies sent into the water. In this particular location the water is the greatest obstacle as there isn’t much else in terms of natural defenses.

L. My second location is the Dark Elf PQ ‘The Pool of Elthrai’ from which the Dark Elves hope to find the location of the Everqueen. But hopefully since you’re RR71+ you already know shes in the Lost Vale, if not… read more. Irregardless the site holds significance to the High Elves. Once again the limited water and walls here offer the primary defenses, though the trees can be used to great effect as well.

M. The third location from the Dark Elf storyline is the town of Everspring and its associated PQ. The town is surrounded by a pseudo moat and has plenty of planters, benches, walls, fountains, etc. to create an interesting fight. The town is of vital significance because it is one of the abodes of the Everqueen.

N. The forth location from the Dark Elf storyline is neither a PQ nor a landmark, it is just an elaborate location along the Jade Coast where the posh High Elves come to dine and look at the sunset. In a tactical sense the site offers more in terms of defense than many other sites in Avelorn – it abuts the sea and can lead to some splashing, there are plenty of tents for healers to hide in, and there are plenty of obstacles to break up the zerg.

O. The last location from the Dark Elf storyline is the PQ ‘Watchtower of Aethwyn’ which looks over the T3 RvR lake, Hallo Ghrond’s! This location is next to one of the scalable hills connecting the Dark Elf to the High Elf storyline. Also the river behind this PQ can add some defensive advantages if properly used.

P. Heading over to the High Elf storyline, we travel to the north-east corner of the map to the town of Grimwater. Why is it grim? Why, because the Everqueen has gone missing and no one knows where she be! Anyway, the site is rather urban for Avelorn and I’d locate the flag either at the base of the tower on the isle in this screenshot, or farther up the hill behind the tower in the screenshot. One would have to be careful though because the Order chapter hub is right here, so perhaps fighting on the island is best.

Q. Second from the High Elf storyline is the PQ ‘Falls of Renewal’ which replenish both the forest of Avelorn and the denizens of this kingdom. However, the falls are under siege of the forces of the Raven Host trying to corrupt it. The location is atop a hill and of course has water… because what kind of waterfall would be on flat ground and lack water O.o A proper punt to the north can effectively remove an enemy for a large portion of the fight because not only will they land in a river, but they will also have to circle around to return to the top.

R. Third in line is the PQ ‘Deathwind Pass’… and if that name doesn’t mean anything to you then we need to have a talk. The site and story is about ambush, lots of trees, rocks, bushes, mountains to hide behind and ambush your enemy. Trying to capture this flag could be the best mistake you’ve ever made =)

S. Forth from the High Elf storyline is the PQ “The Well of Whispers” which the High Elf archmages are trying to use to commune with the Everqueen (who by the way if you didn’t know is missing – if you’ve seen her please let someone know). The site however us under siege by the beastmen and has a surprising entity as the end fight. The site is terribly open and perhaps the best defense for it would be to hide in the caves atop the mountain and swoop down upon the unsuspecting attackers… This site is located high upon a mountain and should the battle reach the edges of the mountain it could lead to some very long distances /wave emotes.

T. My last location for Avelorn is the PQ ‘Stormriver’s End’ in which the town of Stormriver has come under attack of the necromancers and the undead. Perhaps another open site but it again offers the limited obstacles of benches and plant-life to split up the battle. If you are unlucky enough to get punted from the Well of Whispers mountain, you can always end up here and kick it with the skellies.

And so ends the Sovereign bracket of T5 – 10 BOs per map and 2 Chapter hubs to hold, a total of 20 BOs and 4 chapter hubs per pairing. Remember, WAR is everywhere.